How Samoa Air Started To Use Fagali’I Airport

Fagali’I Airport provides air service to the capital city of Samoa, Apia. It’s a small airport that can only accommodate small planes. Up until several years ago it just had a grass airstrip, in fact, although that has since been paved over to make way for smoother and safer takeoffs and landings.

At the time Polynesian Airlines had objected to Samoa Air being able to use the Fagali’I Airport. They relented, though, apparently because the prime minister of Samoa at the time, Tauilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, got involved in the negotiations. He had promised Samoa Air they would have access to this airport so he made good on that promise.

Because the Fagali’I Airport is pretty central to where most of the restaurants and hotels are many things are measured by how close they are to the airport. There are many options when choosing what hotel to stay nearby. The prices from $13 a night at the Tatiana Motel Tanugamanono to $162 a night at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel according to expedia.com. This less expensive hotel gets surprisingly good reviews online all things considered while the latter one is a three-star hotel.

There are a lot of things to do around the Fagali’I Airport. Some people enjoy an active vacation which can include hiking, swimming with fish, and exploring waterfalls and nature in general. For those who want to take it easier there are plenty of options such as two museums to visit according to dohop.com. One great option for these people is a half-day sightseeing and history tour of the island of Upolu. This costs about $50 a person and there is a morning tour and an afternoon one. It takes off and ends at the Villa Vailima and visits things like Mulinu’u, a sacred burial ground, and a German monument which was built when that country colonized Samoa in the 1800s.